


Albert Caine: Wedding Bell Blues

by DisgloGhoul, EveryDayIsHalloweenForMe



Category: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios
Genre: Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Father's Day, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Gen, HHN, Icons: A Generation Unfolding, Long Shot, Motherhood, One Shot, Other, SINdy Caine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 20:05:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14961284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisgloGhoul/pseuds/DisgloGhoul, https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveryDayIsHalloweenForMe/pseuds/EveryDayIsHalloweenForMe
Summary: Inspired by DisgloGhoul's Icons story.One shot from Albert's perspective as he helps Cindy get ready on her wedding day. Emotional Hurt/Comfort. Father/Daughter.- Father's Day Special -





	Albert Caine: Wedding Bell Blues

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DisgloGhoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisgloGhoul/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Icons: A Generation Unfolding](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9379379) by [DisgloGhoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisgloGhoul/pseuds/DisgloGhoul). 



> This is a gift to my best friend, DisgloGhoul who wrote the amazing Icons story that you should totally check out!  
> This was also written and uploaded on Father's Day 2018 as a sort of Father's Day gift to all you out there who read our stories, so this is for you! <3
> 
> *Spoiler Warning*: This short story includes MAJOR spoilers for both Icons: A Generation Unfolding and Albert Caine: Beneath A Moonless Night. So if you don't want anything spoiled, do not read on.

Sunlight cascaded in through the gossamer curtains and illuminated his hair from behind. I looked down to him, in my arms. He was so small. So tiny.

He drifted sweetly to sleep gently in the rocking chair, gently in my arms. Just like Cindy had decades ago. The black wisps of hair atop his fragile skull reminded me so much of her hair when she was so small. Her eyes would look back into my own, remnants of Lilybelle haunted her dark russet eyes. Yet Cindy's eyes were always very much her own at the same time. Big wondrous orbs that they were, always studying the world around her. Much like her Father, if I do say so myself.

Edgar though, his eyes were different. Not only in color, the icey blue hue obviously from his father, but also in expression. His eyes were strong and sure. He didn't have that look of wonder at the world, more so a look of purpose. An old soul, my mother would have called it. It was clear from the perplexity hidden behind the naive youthful eyes of a baby, this soul within his body had a purpose. And being a god, a mighty one at that.

What that purpose was? I had no clue. And further more I wasn't about to flatter myself to give into any false, though perhaps comforting, notion that I did. 

Not only had Adaru kept me in the dark from knowing my own flesh and blood daughter would carry the child of prophecy, against my wishes. But Lord Fear had also kept me in the dark along with the others of what exactly that prophecy entailed.   
God, every nerve of me was growing to resent Fear. Hate him even. For meddling in my family's lives, for meddling with my daughter's life. Part of me even hated myself. No, loathed myself for making a pact with that demon ages ago. Dear god if I hadn't invited Fear into my life, and by default Cindy's as well, perhaps we wouldn't have been involved. 

It was too late now though. Far too late. Fear's power out numbered me more than I cared to think about, and besides there was nothing I could do now. The baby had been born, and damn it...I loved him.

He was my grandchild. My grandson. Cindy's little boy. 

I loved little Edgar now as I have always loved Cindy. He was my family. My home.

And here he was even now, in my arms, softly sleeping in my care.

While my mind drifted to and from these thoughts and worries, the biggest stress upon me was something I wanted harshly to deny was happening.

Across from the rocking chair in which Edgar and I rested, across the nursery room with small baby toys scattered along the floor, across the large windows open to the late afternoon sunlight outside, across the room in which I sat - I faced it head on. Eye to eye contact with the wretched demon who glared at me with a sinister grin.

I sat rocking, glaring down the horrid beast - the calendar. Not the mere paper on which dates of the month were inked upon. No - rather upon the one date circled in red pen. The date which befell us all as we had awoken earlier that morning.

Today's date.

In the middle of the circle were the words written in delicate feminine hand - The Wedding.

Just reading those words sent stabs of grief into my heart. Grief for the day I was to be forced to give my daughter away to that scoundrel. The day I was to admit my daughter had out grown her own nursery and was no longer a child...was no longer, my little baby.

Biting down severely upon my lower lip I fought back in anger at the tightening of my throat and the welling of my eyes. No. I wasn't going to allow myself to give into self pity or grief in this moment, not with my grandson in my arms. 

Suddenly a sound pulled my attention from little Edgar's sleeping face. It was the door. Somehow it was a relief, how the sound had interrupted my sad thoughts, though I would never show it. 

It was Mary. Dr.Agana stepped into the room silently. In a polite and respecting manner she nodded her head to me in greeting. I nodded back slowly. 

Folding her hands infront of her she floated across the floor, her long dress sweeping around her feet delicately as she did so. Then she stopped, a few short feet away. 

"She's ready for you." she whispered with a small smile.

Taking in a silent breath I could feel my stomach drop and a small frenzy of motions move through my chest. Good god, it couldn't be time already.

Nodding again I rose from my seat slowly and quietly. My back not being what it once was when I had gotten up from rocking Cindy when she was nothing but an infant, but Edgar didn't seem to notice. He was still fast asleep.

Now standing looking up from Edgar, Mary moved closer - her arms out to take him.

Softly I passed Edgar into her arms and she moved to take my place in the rocking chair. Softly she hummed in merely a whisper, it was a song I wasn't familiar with but Edgar seemed to enjoy it as he curled closer up against her in his sleep.

Looking at the two it was clear to see everything was at peace. Mary looked up to me with an expression on her face, it was time for me to go. I had important matters to tend to. Important matters I did not want to tend to.

Looking down I pulled my lips in and licked them quickly in thought, my eyes flickered back to Mary's and I nodded once more before turning towards the door.

It was time to go to her.

With great care I managed to silently escape the room and close the door behind me. Moving through the halls of my own manor, I felt like a ghost. Not all there. Not all present. Hollow yet not. Numb but not truly. Not wanting to feel all the emotions flowing through myself. Not wanting to admit that they were there.

Reaching the large dark oak double doors at the end of the hall just past the staircase, I stopped. Infront of the closed doors I closed my eyes. Oh god, I didn't want to go in there. I didn't want to face what laid behind these doors. I didn't want to be forced to accept this reality I was drowning in.

Taking a deep breath in I opened my eyes and pressed on, taking both door handles in either hand and opening into the room.

The room was at one time Cindy's nursery. Not now. Some of her old furnishings and toys were still about but otherwise it was utterly decorated in white fabrics and flowers. A large vanity was set up in the room along with comfortable chairs and loveseats. A white wicker coffee table held boxes of chocolates and cups of tea along with flowers and other things. 

The room had been converted into a bridal boudoir for Cindy, by her friends no doubt. It looked like the handy work of Vivian, being as theatrical looking as it was.

The room was void of any of the bridesmaids though. Void of any life aside from my own...and her's.

There she sat at the vanity before me, fixing her hair, her dress already on. I watched silently from behind. 

They didn't know. They couldn't have. They must have found it while hunting around the manor for things to piece this room together. It was her mother's. It was Lilybelle's vanity.

Her brilliant brown eyes noticed me as they looked up within the reflection of the mirror. A smile pulled across her perfectly painted lips.

"Daddy!" She grinned.

Turning around in her seat she beamed at me. Not how she had ever before in her life. I had always had a child grinning at me. Now she was a woman smiling at me. Where had the years gone?

My eyes turned glassy again, against my inner protest. I couldn't let her see me like this. I couldn't let her see this emotion. This pain.

"Cindy." I grinned. "You look...beautiful. A true angel before me."

"Oh, Daddy!" she giggled, rising from her vanity stool. She approached me, her heels hidden by her dress I could hear clicking across the wood floor. Quickly she made her way to me, looking up to me with those same wide and wondrous eyes I had loved her whole life. Somehow I hadn't expected it, but she quickly embraced me in a tight hug.

A warm and heartfelt squeeze around me, to which I returned my arms gently folding around her. I couldn't help it any further, god have mercy on me - I couldn't. Tears began leaving my eyes, softly and silently running down my face as I fought them with all I had to no prevail. My eyes shut in an attempt to stop them but it had no effect. 

Holding her tighter to me now, I never wanted to let go. I never wanted to let her go. My heart was shattering at the thought. 

Without thought a sniffle escaped me, a sniffle she heard. Damn it!

Softly she released me from her grasp, to which I had to lessen my own grip to her. She moved to be able to look at me, to look at my face. 

I didn't want her to see but there was no use. She knew.

Silently she studied my face. Wet from tears, tired from the years, and hurt from the pain of my little bird flying off without me.

I looked to her, defeated. I had nothing left to hide. It was there clear to see. I hadn't wanted her to but she beat me, she had seen the tears running down my face.

Sniffing again, I brought my hand to my cheek and wiped some of the tears away.

"Daddy, please don't cry." She worried, her brows pleading.

"I'm fine, darling. I'm fine." I lied.

"If you cry, then I'm going to cry." She admitted, tears forming in her own beautiful eyes.

"No, no sweetheart. No." I protested, wiping her tears instantly before they could touch her skin. "No, you don't cry. Not on your wedding day." I forced a smile through a frown that pulled at my lips.

She nodded and turned from me. Moving back to the vanity, to pick up a small white hankie with blue flowers embroidered onto it. 

"I know it's been hard on you. I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. And don't you think for a moment I haven't felt badly about it, because I have. If I could go back in time, I would have...It's been so much, just so so much lately. I never intended things to turn out this way." Cindy explained, not daring to look to me as she brought the hankie to her face.

"Honey, I know that. I know you never intended things to become what it is. I don't think that you're stupid, quite the opposite in fact. You've always been the smartest and most wise person I know." I stepped up behind her, as she now turned to look to me.

"Do you mean that?" she blinked sadly.

"Ofcourse I mean that." I confirmed truthfully. "You survived such a great deal of tragedies. You survived the fire, even when I couldn't. You survived that wretched god forsaken orphanage, even when you were all alone." I sniffled again, my nose disobeying me. "You brought me back from the dead, something I myself couldn't do alone. You were kidnapped while pregnant and managed to not only keep yourself alive and your son alive, but help others escape to safety and defeat Spade." I stepped closer still and held her shoulders in intense sincerity, "You are by far the strongest, smartest, and bravest of them all...and I'm proud to have you as my daughter." 

Again she embraced me in a harsh though loving hug. I nearly knocked me backwards a step but I didn't care. This was my daughter. In this moment she was again, my little Cindy; as she had always been.

After a few long moments of holding to each other as father and daughter we released ourselves from our grasps. Both of us wiping tears away we smiled to each other.

"Now, how can I help?" I smiled through the emotions.

"The veil. I wanted you to put it on, since... well, I wanted you to put it on." She explained with a sad smile.

I nodded knowingly. She was going to say because her mother wasn't here, I knew she was. She was thinking of her. With good reason, I mean it was her wedding day. Of course all little girls want their mother present for their wedding day. Of course...of course.

As I always had been, now today I would be again - both Father and Mother to her.

I moved to pick up the veil from the box it had been being kept in and carried it over to her. She spun around facing the full length three part mirror before us and watched in the reflection as I prepared to place the veil on her.

"You know...your mother would be very proud of you." I spoke.

Turning, forgetting all about the veil, Cindy looked up to my face.

"She would?" she spoke, seemingly in astonishment.

It was rare we would discuss her mother, Lilybelle. For several reasons I had always favored the less is more approach regarding Cindy's mother. But today was different. It was special. Lilybelle needed to be a part of this. If she couldn't be here

physically, she would be here in our hearts.

"Yes, she would. She'd be so happy for you. She would have been very happy." I smiled, again emotions surely showing on my face.

Cindy smiled, looking away from me. Her hand rose to her heart as she looked off.

"Sometimes I feel her, you know? Her spirit. It's vague and comes and goes, but it's her. I know it is." She explained softly.

"I know you do." I admitted. "I've known for a long time now."

"How did you know?" She looked to me again.

"Because I feel her too." I gazed into my daughter's eyes, as we both sensed Lilybelle's presence. It was unlike other spirits and souls who moved through out our world. It was like a mist. An energy. It wasn't her as a person, it was her as an energy in the air. She was here.

Suddenly the clock in the corner chimed.

It was almost time.

"The time has nearly come." I reassured as she turned back to the mirror.

I fastened the veil to her head and draped it over her. No longer did the reflection in the mirror show my raven haired daughter, but rather a bride ready for the altar.

We both stood there for a moment, both gazing to the reflection in the mirror in a sort of wonder and unfamiliarity. 

The clock continued to chime, when her hand reached for mine.

"I can't lie to you, Daddy. I'm nervous." she confessed turning to me.

"Cindy, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." I reassured, holding her hand in both of mine now.

Rolling her eyes she sighed, "I know you don't want me to-"

"Cindy, please listen to me because I don't know if I can be strong enough to give you this moment of clarity again. I'm not talking about anything that has happened between you, Viktor, or I. I'm not talking about your relationship, or the past few months, or any of that. I'm not talking about myself, or what I want or what Viktor wants or what anyone else wants. What I am talking about right now is _you_. _Nothing but you_. I want _you_ to do what _you_ want to do. If you don't want to do this, or if you just don't want to do this today - know that nothing is stopping us from calling this whole thing off. We can take Edgar and go. Go anywhere. Or we could stay, and just call off the wedding. We can have everyone enjoy the cake and have a big party if that's what you want. But you don't have to do a damn thing that you yourself don't want to do. If you want to walk down that aisle, even if I have to force myself, by god I will walk you down that aisle and you may say your vows. If you don't however, I need to know. Not for me. For you. I have always done my best to give you what you want, and I will do that even know - whatever that may be. So, my sweetheart... _what do you want to do_?" I explained clearly and honestly, removing my own desires from my thoughts and truly seeking the right outcome by her.

  
She looked deeply to me, as I looked deeply to her curious as to what she was thinking. A short moment went by before she burst into tears and hugged me once more.

"Daddy, I love you. I love you so so much. I do want to get married. I do want to be with Viktor. I love him!" She exclaimed into my shoulder.

I held her like a child and swayed as if to rock her in my arms one last time.

"So then you shall marry him. If you truly love him, then I will gladly walk you down that aisle." I kissed her head.

Three minutes went by before we released each other and she tidied her face in the vanity mirror and I smoothed her veil for her as she did. After replacing the veil over her face I looked her over.

"You look so much like your mother, you know. You two are as beautiful as angels." I smiled, thinking aloud more than anything.

She smiled warmly and looked over herself in the mirror. A true bride.

Pulling out my silver pocket watch I checked the time.

"Cindy, darling..." I spoke.

She turned, full attention now to me.

"The time has come..." I held out my arm for her to take, that I may lead her downstairs and to the aisle that would lead to her groom.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and be sure to continue reading the works this one was inspired by.  
> Oh and,  
>  ~*.Happy Father's Day.*~


End file.
